Abstract (eng)
We analyze the gas kinematics of massive, early-type galaxies, in sim-
ulations and observations, with respect to the effect of AGN feedback
on certain quantitative irregularity parameters. Our observational data
sample is drawn from the integral-field survey CALIFA, and our simu-
lated data sample is based upon galaxies produced via the code SPHGal.
We select objects (observed and simulated) which are currently affected
by AGN feedback by means of WHAN analysis in order to compare
them. With our simulated data, we have access to two separate simula-
tion runs, the only difference between the two being the implementation
of AGN feedback in one, but not the other, which allows us to cleanly
isolate AGN feedback’s effects. This separation, along with the ability
to explore a galaxy’s development over time, is not possible with our
observational data, and so we use the simulations as a guide to the ob-
servations. We find that AGN feedback does increase the value of the
irregularity parameters in our simulations, but that other phenomena,
such as galactic mergers, can increase them as well. Furthermore, a
galaxy which was affected by AGN feedback at some point in its past
does not necessarily indicate this in the present. In all, high values for
irregularity parameters may be but are not necessarily caused by AGN
feedback.